How to Feature Antiques in Your Home

To me, antiques are a girl's best friend and here's why. I always talk about loving the special story that they tell. I'm also environmentally friendly as much as possible. There is already so much on this earth that buying used is important to me for a few reasons. Buying used doesn't mean you're missing out on anything that a new product in decor could have. Sometimes new products are too perfect. Don't get me wrong at all. I really do loving mixing the old with the new. That's part of my trick, but there are so many ways that you can use antiques throughout your home without sacrificing anything. 

It's all about how you arrange what new things you can add to your decorating and what old things you can incorporate into the mix. That's what I'm all about here at Crafty Home. You'll have to read my post about what a Crafty Home means to me. It's about being clever with your decorating. It's all about having a tool box of tips and tricks to use throughout your home. Decorating is an art--anyone can do it--but there are skills that you can use in your home to decorate to get that master-piece feeling. The feeling where you're happy and loving the way that your home looks.

I want you to know that like making art, there are multiple ways to do it with many styles. The tips that I'm giving you here are what I use in my home. They are open to interpretation and like all art the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I'm simply sharing with you here what works for me and my heart. 

One of the ways that I like old with new is using new, modern style picture frames to put old art in. I really do like clean lines so in this picture frame you'll definitely notice the modern aspects. This magazine that I put in this frame is from 1926 and to me looks like it's coming to life and really has two worlds meeting in one place. On this tray, this frame is my statement piece and a large focal point. I like to decorate trays on counters and bathrooms because it allows boundaries with the edges of the tray. It's not overwhelming to decorate using trays since you have a specific space to decorate instead of a whole counter top. This is a good place to start. 

I have some pictures on the tray and post cards. I've talked about how I love using items like this. I either like to find old pictures of places I've been before as memories of great times, or I like to find photos of places I want to go. Like actually go. Sometimes it feels meant to be when I pick of pictures of places I've talked about going. I pick up post cards, greeting cards for holidays, and pictures because they can always be used in decorating. I like using generic pictures in decorating as well to have on hand. In my store, I created digital downloads of pictures to share with you on my past adventures of architecture pieces and some cute animals that you can use in your decorating. 

In the picture above you'll see old pieces mixed with new. I'm telling you. It all goes back to having staple pieces in your home for you to use in decorating. Go read that blog post to see some of my top items I have on hand. Featuring antiques in your home will be more seamless this way. I have the flowers to go in the bottles with some cash flags that I found and adore. They go in the arraignment together and are so cute. I stacked some drawers for more old touches and I'm done. It's about using what you have, investing in pieces you'll use all the time, and mixing new decor with old. I offer both old and new decor in my shop. I love finding the best and the very cutest. Really, I hand pick each piece and offer them to you so that you can create beautiful displays in your home. It's one easy place to find your decorating.

Before I felt like I really found myself in decorating, I didn't have certain pieces of decor and I found I really struggled. I could get anything how I really wanted it to look. It takes tome to gather some cute decor and gather the staple pieces. I've been waiting for forever to get a scale and I don't know why I waited until now to get one. Get what you need and your decorating won't be as hard for you. Honestly, sometimes you need to splurge to get what you're really looking for. Once you have it, it's an investment in your decor and if it's a piece you really love, I think it's worth it. 

Other ways to feature your antiques is gathering your various collections. Put your bottles together on a tray. Put your hearts featured together on the wall. I think a great way to feature antiques is seeing them all together. Even if you gather a little bit here or there, and don't have collections of items, I be you could put certain colors together or maybe themes. If you collect cows or chickens, perhaps farm animals in general. Gather them up and give them a home. Use some kind of display stand to do this. It could be a bench, tray, or box. 

 Old chippy paint is obviously a love of mine and maybe yours too. I believe there is so much to be discovered and I encourage you find some pieces for your home. I've been hired by clients to find certain pieces if you're looking for something in particular. I also have some ready to grab goodies in my online shop, or maybe you're in the mood to see what you can find around your hometown. Wherever it is, I hope that the story you're adding to your home makes you and your family happy.